Jeep Cherokee vs Kia Sportage: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Kia Sportage burns about $1,450 of fuel annually against $1,650 for the Jeep Cherokee. That $200 yearly gap compounds to roughly $1,000 over five years and $1,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Kia Sportage leads in both cycles — 42 mpg city and 44 mpg highway against 39 and 35 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Jeep Cherokee is recorded with 4 distinct engine configurations (Hybrid, 2.4, SIDI), the Kia Sportage with 4 (SIDI; PHEV, SIDI & PFI, SIDI; Hybrid). Across 79 recorded Jeep Cherokee configurations and 69 for the Kia Sportage, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Jeep Cherokee is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive, the Kia Sportage with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Kia Sportage emits 55 g/mile of CO2 versus 241 g/mile for the Jeep Cherokee. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.